An incident of rare seriousness occurred this Thursday during the extraction of Corentin Villette, 23, suspected of the murder of Medhi Clarke in May 2022. The young detainee tried to seize the gun of an agent from Prej 35 (judicial extraction hub) at the time of his hearing before the investigating chamber of the Rennes Court of Appeal.
As soon as his name was mentioned, the tension rose a notch. The door to the box opened suddenly, revealing Villette, struggling with a prison guard. As reported by Ouest-France, he was firmly pushed out of the room and was quickly subdued by several agents. “He tried to grab my weapon,” said one of them, visibly still in shock. The president of the court, Anne Desport, immediately ordered his return to detention: “You can bring him back,” she declared, in front of stunned magistrates.
A heavy legal past
Corentin Villette is the main suspect in the murder of Medhi Clarke, found dead of a gunshot to the head at the age of 22, under a burning motorcycle between Pornichet and Saint-Nazaire (Loire-Atlantique). The case, dating from May 2022, bears the marks of a settling of scores. Two years before the events, Villette and Clarke had been convicted together for drug trafficking.
On the evening of the murder, Villette was allegedly seen in the Petit-Caporal neighborhood, looking for the victim before leaving with her. Medhi Clarke was never seen again.
Since his incarceration in June 2022, Villette has accumulated several incidents in prison, including violence against fellow inmates. Drugs and phones were also found in his cell.
An audience under tension
This Thursday's hearing was decisive for Villette, who requested his release while awaiting his trial. The attorney general recalled the dangerousness of the suspect and his hostile behavior towards authority. He requested his continued detention to avoid any risk of repeat offenses. The investigating chamber will make its decision this Friday, December 27.
